USF Art Alumna Libbi Ponce Awarded Fulbright to Study in Ecuador

Wednesday, May 20, 2020

USF alumna Libbi Ponce (BFA studio art '20) will travel to Guayaquil, Ecuador as a Fulbright Creative Research Scholar to 3D scan artifacts at the Museo Antropologico y de Arte Contemporaneo and show the scans in an exhibition.

Over the course of several months, Ponce will contribute to the museum's digital archives while further exploring her Ecuadorian heritage, an aspect of her identity that continually informs her creative work.

“It's always been sort of like this anchor or foundational base in my work I think for awhile,” said Ponce. “Even if sometimes I'm not necessarily referencing it directly. I think it always influences the work that I make.”

Ponce chose to leverage 3D scanning after gaining experience in technology-based studio classes at USF, learning 3D scanning, 3D printing, photogrammetry, and the graphics software MAYA. In the winter of 2019, Ponce leveraged a 3D scanner and 360 degree camera from USF as she filmed in Ecuador creating works for her BFA thesis project, ultimately creating the 360 degree video, Fernanda.

While the coronavirus pandemic is postponing Ponce's trip to Ecuador to at least January 2021, she hopes to gain a new understanding of the country by staying in the country for a longer period of time.

Ponce graduated in the spring of 2020 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in studio art and a Bachelor of Arts in philosophy.

Visit libbiponce.com for more on Ponce's art practice.